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Mayor Duncan won't seek second term

Big Spring Mayor Tommy Duncan announced this morning he will not seek a second term in office.Duncan cited personal reasons for why he will not stand for re-election.“When I ran for office, I was really reluctant to do so, but I was contacted by several people to step forward and serve the community, and that's what I did,” Duncan said. “I never intended to serve more than one term.”Duncan, who defeated incumbent mayor Russ McEwen in the 2010 municipal elections, cited three milestones as his major contributions to the community during his term in office.“When I ran for mayor, I made three promises — I would work to lower taxes, I would work on the city's infrastructure and I would help give citizens a greater voice in the community,” he said. “During my term, we've lowered the tax rate below the effective rate each year, we've invested millions of dollars in our infrastructure, particularly in water treatment and streets and sewer lines and we've had three elections which allowed voters to make the decision on major projects — on term limits, the wastewater treatment plant and the (Economic Development Corporation).”The EDC election, in which voters defeated a proposition to allow the corporation's tax money to fund public improvement projects, instead of being earmarked solely for economic development purposes, was a source of controversy and, Duncan said, more than a little bit of misunderstanding.“A lot of people thought I wanted (the proposition) to pass,” he said. “My vote was for that, but what I most wanted was for the community to make that decision … and I'm happy with the decision they made.”Duncan, who vowed to continue working vigorously for the community until his term expires in May, thanked Big Spring citizens for their support during his three years in office.“I want to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of Big Spring for giving me the opportunity to serve,” he said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to represent you over the past (3) years and I assure you, I will continue to work hard for the remainder of my term.”